Obit: Sutter, William (1868 - 1940)

Contact: Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Bretthauer, Gierke, Kuenne, Manley,  Merriman, Montgomery, Olson, Sutter

----Sources: OWEN ENTERPRISE (Owen, Clark County, Wis.) 08/08/1940

Sutter, William (8 Feb 1868 - 5 Aug 1940)

One of the city’s earliest pioneers, William Sutter, 72, passed away Monday evening at the home of his daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Montgomery at Galesville, Wis., the cause of his death being pneumonia.

For over 50 years Mr. Sutter made his home in Owen (Clark Co., Wis.), prior to his leaving over a year ago to make his home with his daughter and family, suffering then because of a lingering illness.

During the years he spent in Owen Mr. Sutter acquired the admiration of everyone. He was a great civic leader, at intervals serving on the city council and the school board.

Funeral services will be held at St. Katherine’s Episcopal Church Friday afternoon at two p.m. with Father R.E. Ortmayer officiating. Interment will be made in the Riverside Cemetery.

The body is lying in state at the Griebenow Funeral Parlors where friends may call and pay their final tribute to one of the city’s finest citizens. A complete obituary will be published next week.

(Follow on in 8/15/1940 Owen Enterprise)

Final rites were conducted for William Sutter, 71 years and 6 months of age, Friday afternoon, Aug. 9, 1940, at two o’clock from St. Katherine’s Episcopal Church, Owen, Wisconsin. Father R.E. Ortmayer officiated at the service and interment was made in the family lot at the Riverside Cemetery.

William Sutter was one of the oldest residents of this city up until a year ago when an illness prohibited him from working any longer and he moved to Galesville where he made his home with his daughter, Myrtabelle (Mrs. Lyle Montgomery), and family. At the time he moved to Galesville his friends could see how much he loved the city of Owen, for he had aided in its planning and building. Many of the present business places he had helped to build, chief of which is the Woodland Hotel building.

William Sutter was born on Feb. 6, 1868, at Sheboygan, where he spent the first few years of his early boyhood before moving to Eau Claire. He lived in Eau Claire until about 1895 when he moved to Owen to be employed by the John S. Owen Lumber Company which at that time was beginning its lumber industry in this section of the country.

Mr. Sutter proved to be a very popular citizen and served the community in many capacities. He served on the city council for a number of years and also on the school board and held the office of Vestryman of St. Katherine’s Church. He was also a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge.

While in Owen he met his wife, Myrta Merriman, who was employed as a bookkeeper in the office of the John S. Owen Lumber Co. They were united in marriage in the very early 1900’s and raised a family of four children, three daughters, Mrs. Bennett Olson (Florence) of Eau Claire; Mrs. Lyle Montgomery (Myrtabelle) of Galesville; and Mrs. Emelia Kuenne of Holly, Mich.; and two brothers, John of Sheboygan, and Henry of Fond du Lac. A brother and sister preceded him in passing away.

Those from away who attended the funeral services were Mr. and Mrs. John Sutter, Mr. and Mrs. Gus Gierke and Mrs. Emma Manley of Sheboygan; Mrs. James Hull and two daughters of Stevens Point, Mrs. J. Garland of Minneapolis; and Mrs. William…(the last little bit was cut off my copy)

[Sutter Craft Company Postcard]

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Woodland Hotel, Owen, Wisconsin

NE CORNER OF N CENTRAL AVE AND E 4TH ST (200 BLOCK OF N CENTRAL AVE)
Architecture and History Inventory

PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1906
Additions:
Survey Date:2010
Historic Use:hotel/motel
Architectural Style: Commercial Vernacular
Structural System:
Wall Material:Brick
Architect: Louis Claude and Edward Starck (architects) Owen Lumber Company - William Sutter (builder)
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?: No
DESIGNATIONS
National/State Register Listing Name: Woodland Hotel
National Register Listing Date:5/10/2016
State Register Listing Date:11/20/2015